Picture Perfect
by Razorfiend
Summary: Dawn and Paul are the perfect couple. Or at least that's how they look on the outside. When Ash finds out about the abuse Dawn is going through, can he convince her to leave the one she loves? Ikari, Poke, Contest and slight Pearlshipping T for Violence
1. Chapter 1

I couldn't bear to look at myself in the mirror, but I had to. School started in twenty minutes and that was barely enough time for me to shower, put my make up on and fix my hair. I walked slowly into the bathroom and placed my hands on the edge of the sink.

I looked up.

I was staring at a girl who looked like me, but wasn't me. It couldn't be me; I had always been perfectly presentable. Her blue hair hung in tangled clumps and looked as if it hadn't been washed for days. There was a purple swelling around one eye and a few cuts on the girl's left cheekbone, on _my_ left cheekbone.

I bit my lip and winced when I tasted blood. I ran my tongue gingerly along the wound and felt the place where it had split slightly in two. I had forgotten about that injury. I sucked on my lip absentmindedly as I stripped and hopped into the shower.

Hot water blasted me in the face and everything began to hurt all over again. I scrubbed at my arms and legs with soap and noticed the new purple bruises that decorated my body. I was glad that it was winter and I could wear clothes that would conceal all this. People would wonder what had happened to me and I could never tell them. Even if I did, they would find it difficult to believe.

My boyfriend Paul was a straight A student and extremely polite. Sure, he was aloof, but he never did or said anything mean to anyone. If you asked someone what they thought of him, they would probably say he was a little shy, but he was a good person. I would agree with them; it wasn't Paul's fault. It was my fault. I didn't deserve him.

I blinked back my tears as they mingled with the spray of water from the shower faucet. Last night had been an accident. I should never have forced him to go to that stupid fast food place. Paul had wanted to go to a fancy restaurant, but I didn't have enough money on me. He insisted that he would pay, but I had to go all feminist on him and insist on splitting the bill. He had sulked and I told him that we should go to Benny's, since it was cheaper.

I thought that it would be okay. He wasn't mad, he was just silent. That wasn't out of the ordinary for him. We had sat in those cheap faux-leather booths and opened those cracked menus. I ordered a burger and Paul did the same. We sat there under those buzzing fluorescent lights and eaten our sad excuses for burgers.

Paul didn't say a word. I had smiled at him, but he simply stared at me with a thoughtful look on his face, eating his meal. I was so stupid for thinking that everything was fine between us, when it so clearly wasn't. I should have been able to see the rage he kept veiled in his dark eyes.

And then in the car he had...

"Dawn?"

I snapped out of my reverie and turned off the shower. I jumped out of the bath tub and scrambled to wrap a towel around me.

"Yeah, mom?" I called, patting myself dry.

"You should have been downstairs five minutes ago. This isn't like you. Did you oversleep?"

"Yeah," I replied, swiping at my soaked hair. I pulled a hair dryer out of the drawer and set it on full blast, aiming it at my head. "I'm not perfect, you know."

She laughed. "I'm aware of that, my little Piplup. Don't take too much longer. Paul's waiting for you downstairs. I made him some coffee, so he won't be too mad." Her footsteps retreated as she left her position from outside the bathroom door.

I clutched the hair dryer tightly in my grip. Paul was waiting for me? This wasn't good. He was never late and I had never waited for him once. He never caused me any trouble, so who was I to make him wait? And after my stupidity last night, he was still sweet enough to come pick me up so I could get my lazy ass to school!

I got dressed at record speed; the only thing left for me to do was my face. I stared at the ugly marks again; if I had just listened to Paul, I wouldn't have to waste time hiding them. I brushed concealer and foundation on until there wasn't a sign that anything was out of the ordinary. I shot out of the bathroom and hurried down the stairs.

Paul got up from the lavender couch the second he saw me.

"Hey, Dawn."

I smiled hopefully. So far, so good.

"Hi, Paul." I stood there awkwardly. "Sorry for making you wait..."

"It's okay." He brushed the bangs out of my eyes. "Ready to go?"

I nodded and he took my hand, turning to my mother. She grinned when she saw his hand in mine, but quickly averted her eyes back to the dishes.

"Thanks for the coffee," Paul said. "It was excellent."

"You're welcome." She beamed at him. "I'm just glad my daughter's lucky enough to have found such a charming young man to have as a boyfriend."

"Mom," I groaned. "Paul—"

"I'm the lucky one," Paul replied, shooting her a smile. He squeezed my hand once and led me out the door.

The sun shone on my face and my worries vanished. The day was too beautiful to be concerned about the events of the previous night. I followed Paul to his car, a nondescript silver van. He held the passenger seat open for me, a perfect gentleman as always.

I was about to get inside when he grabbed my wrist. I hovered in a weird position, one foot in the car and one still on the ground. I craned my neck around to look at him. He gave me a sharp yank and I stumbled out of the car.

"Dawn." He released my wrist. "You think I'm going to let you get away with it that easily?" his tone was teasing, so I smiled at him.

"What, are you gonna punish me?"

He pushed me against the van and held me by the shoulders. I laughed as I parted my lips slightly to receive a kiss. None came. I opened my eyes as I felt his hands grip my fingers tightly, steel bands that only grew tighter as the seconds ticked by.

"Ouch, you're hurting me," I told him, trying to keep my voice light.

"_You_ hurt _me_," was his answer.

I stared at him. "What did I do?"

"Were you not late today?" He raised his eyebrows. "And what about those disgusting burgers you made me eat last night?"

"I'm sorry—ow!" I whimpered as his fingers dug even deeper into my flesh. "Really. I got home late last night, you know. I forgot to set my alarm."

He released my shoulders suddenly and stepped back. "You better be sorry. I really fucking hope that I won't have to endure your stupidity, Dawn. You know," he added casually, "I could get another girlfriend. One who shows me respect."

I threw my arms around him; he was completely stiff and made no move to hug me back.

"I'm really sorry, Paul! I wasn't thinking..." my voice trailed off as I buried my face in his shoulder. He smelled so good, like fresh grass and earth. I couldn't bear to think about not smelling his scent ever again.

His arms wrapped around my waist. "I'm glad you learned your lesson."

He kissed me on the head and I melted inside. Everything was okay again. It would be fine if I learned how to be a better girlfriend. Once I mastered it all, we would be in eternal happiness. He held my chin up with his fingers and looked into my eyes.

"Dawn, I don't mean to hurt you." His voiced wavered slightly. "I just...can't control myself sometimes. But I still love you. You know that, right?"

I kissed him on the lips and he responded eagerly; our lips moved in perfect harmony together and I felt butterflies all the way down to my toes. We opened our eyes at the same time and grinned at each other.

"I know, Paul."

"Good." He helped me into my seat. "We're going to be late for school. But that's fine. Being late never killed anyone."

A thought raced through my mind: _It almost killed me today_. I blinked, irritated with myself. I was so retarded. It was a stroke of luck that my stupid mind hadn't made me speak those words aloud. If I had, I couldn't imagine what Paul would do. An icy finger stroked my spine and I shuddered; I didn't _want_ to imagine what he would do.

He glanced at me as he turned the radio on. "Are you cold?"

I shook my head. "No. I just thought of something, uh, gross."

"Like what?" He laughed. "Wait, don't tell me. The burgers from last night!"

I forced myself to laugh along with him as the car backed out of the driveway and onto the road. Did he have to keep mentioning them? I had apologized already. At least it would be firmly entrenched in my mind not to take him to Benny's again.

I would do whatever it took to keep Paul happy. Because when he was happy, I was happy. That's what anyone in the world would want; someone to make them happy, someone who loved them. I had that person in Paul and I would not lose him.

**A/N: This story just came into my head randomly. I have no idea if I should continue or not. Leave a review and let me know what you think! Does the world of Pokemon fanfiction really need another dramatic, angsty fic? I mean, I have two of those already... ._.**


	2. Chapter 2

I practically skipped to my journalism class, my lips buzzing from the farewell kiss Paul had given me by the main entrance to the school. He wasn't big on public displays of affection, but since we were late there was no one there to see us. I put my hand to my lips, feeling them tingle. He was an amazing kisser.

I slunk into the classroom, embarrassment flooding over me. I had never been late so far this school year. Mrs. Robbie only gave me a nod and continued rambling about politics. I made my way to the table in the back where I sat with my friends. Misty looked up and raised her eyebrows as I slid into a plastic blue chair.

"Dawn, why are you late?" she whispered, tilting her head to once side. Shaggy tendrils of red hair tumbled over her shoulder as she observed me.

I smiled weakly. "I overslept." Something hit my elbow and I jerked my head to the side. Ash was grinning at me mischievously, his hazel eyes bright. He reached over to the eraser he had thrown at me and picked it up.

"Is that what you did?" Ash said innocently. "Was Paul with you?"

Misty crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. She scowled at her boyfriend, who smiled sheepishly at her. I watched her eyes soften and I felt my heart melt. They were so adorable; seeing couples together just made me miss Paul even more.

"Okay, then," Mrs. Robbie announced. "I'll leave you to it. Remember, this assignment is due in a month and is worth half of your final grade!"

There were moans as she retreated to her desk. I propped my chin on my hands and sighed. I had been too busy thinking about romance to pay attention to what she had been saying. My being late didn't help either.

"So, _were_ you with Paul?" Misty asked, eyes wide. "Did you guys...you know..."

Ash gave a low chuckle and she shot a death glare at him. He turned away and started up a conversation with one of his friends. I shook my head from side to side rapidly. My cheeks burned under her inquisitive gaze.

"No." I shrugged. "We went out last night though. Nothing out of the ordinary." I noticed the suspicious expression on her face and giggled. "Misty, if we ever did _that_, I would tell you. I promise!"

"Good." She beamed at me, her sky blue eyes flashing. "I would tell you too." She leaned back in her chair and watched Ash, who was fooling around with his friends. "I don't think Ash and I are going to be doing anything anytime soon, though."

Ash swivelled back to face us. "Are you talking about me?"

"Of course we are. All we _ever _talk about is how attractive you are." Misty rolled her eyes.

"Really?"

Misty snorted. "God, how'd I get a dumb ass like you as my boyfriend?"

"Aw, Misty. You know you love me!" Ash leaned across the table and patted her head. Misty squirmed away but her cheeks were cherry red.

"You guys are so cute together," I said suddenly, unable to keep my lovey-dovey emotions in check. "Even when you fight, I can still tell that you guys will be like, married some day."

"Yeah, sure." Misty twirled a green pen around in her fingers, feigning nonchalance.

"We will be," Ash agreed. "So will you and Paul, right?" He grinned widely when he saw the expression on my face. "There's no couple in this school who's more in love than you guys!"

My tongue toyed with the cut in my lip and I remained silent. I was secretly pleased that Ash had said that to me; it was always good when my beliefs were reinforced. Paul and I were perfect together. Even someone as clueless as Ash could see that.

"Paul is definitely the coolest guy in school," Misty said. She smirked at Ash. "He's more mature and intelligent than others I could name."

"Ash is definitely the nicest guy in school though," I piped up feebly, not wanting the two of them to grace me with one of their infamous lover's quarrels today.

"That's true." He turned to Misty with an eager expression on his face. "Hey, Misty! Did you know that there's going to be burgers in the cafeteria today?"

"Really? My favourite ones?"

He nodded. "I'll buy!"

"Thanks!"

My heart pounded in my chest. Burgers? Was the whole world out to get me today or something? I couldn't even hear the word without feeling Paul's cold eyes on mine, feeling his fists as they...

The bell rang and I jumped to my feet.

"Eating with Paul today?" Misty called after me.

I gave her a thumbs up without turning around. It hadn't really been a question; Misty, Ash, May, and Drew all knew by now that Paul and I always ate lunch alone. It had been that way for weeks already. I knew that May and Misty would have liked to have eaten lunch alone with their boyfriends and they were jealous of me.

After a boring second class of Math, I was ecstatic when the bell rang. My pace quickened as I made my way to Paul's locker. Paul was too good to me; he was always so romantic and protective. He had insisted that we eat alone in the courtyard when the weather was nice, since we "can always hang out with our friends at any time but we only have a short while to be together".

I came to a halt in front of his locker. He wasn't there, which was atypical. He tended to wait for me, since my class was farther away than his was. It didn't matter; I deserved to wait after being so late this morning. I watched couples holding hands walk by and I smiled to myself. I would be one of them soon when Paul arrived.

"Hey."

I turned and faced Paul. I was so happy to see his cool, confident face that I couldn't resist hugging him. He relented for a second before getting out my grip.

"Dawn, what's the matter?" He twirled his lock combination and opened the door. "You're acting like I've been away for weeks."

I shifted from foot to foot. "I was just really glad to see you."

"You know I don't like it when you do that kind of thing in front of others."

"I know, but—"

He slammed his locker shut and marched away. I hurried to keep up with him, my heart deflating in my chest. I saw people I knew giggle as we walked by; they thought that we looked good together. They couldn't see the tenseness in Paul's shoulders, they couldn't see the worry in my eyes. Cool air rushed past my face as I followed him to our spot in the courtyard; we usually sat on a bench beneath a tall oak tree.

Paul came to a sudden halt and I narrowly managed to avoid bumping into him. I stood behind him, waiting for him to make a move. The air was still and silent as we stood there; no one else was outside. If they were, I didn't see them.

"Paul, I'm sorry," I said when it was clear that he wasn't going to do anything. "But is it really so bad for me to hug you? I mean, it's not a kiss or anything."

He turned around slowly and faced me with cold eyes.

"You know that I don't like it. When someone tells you that they don't like something," he leaned in towards me, "that means you _don't do it_." He pulled away and sat down on the bench.

"I'm really sorry." My voice trembled slightly, despite my best efforts.

"I hate it when you cry."

I blinked back the tears that were welling up in my eyes. I couldn't be such a baby, especially not at school. There was no point in crying. Tears wouldn't solve anything. They would only make him angrier.

"Should I go?" I whispered. "Maybe we just need some time to cool off—"

"Sit down and shut up," he instructed in a bored tone.

I did as I was told and he glanced at me from the corner of his eye. Apparently what he saw satisfied him; my tears were firmly held back and my mouth was set in a neutral line. There was nothing on my face that could cause him to hurt me.

His hand began to stroke my thigh gently and I shivered beneath his dancing fingers. The wind whipped my hair back and the last remnants of my tears dried up. His fingers became rougher and I let out a gasp as he inched his hand up my skirt.

"Paul—"

He removed his hand and looked at me. "It's okay. I'm not going to do anything inappropriate. We are at school after all." He smiled at me, the ice gone from his eyes. "You're really beautiful though. It's hard for me to resist."

He wrapped an arm around my waist and we leaned against one another on the wooden bench. I stared at the trees and flowers that surrounded us, a smile on my lips. Paul had told me that I was beautiful! All my insecurities and fear vanished as he linked his fingers through mine.

"Are you hungry?" he murmured, lips brushing hotly against my ear.

I prayed that my stomach wouldn't betray me. "No."

"Good."

He caught my lips with his and nibbled them gently. Pleasure whooshed throughout me as I eagerly kissed him back. This was another good thing about eating out here: privacy. And with privacy came his passionate kisses, since there were no probing eyes to observe our behaviour. I ran my fingers though his thick hair as he held my face in his hands. He pulled my closer to him, varying the intensity of his kisses.

I was sure that we were going to end up doing it right there in the courtyard, but his kisses ceased until we were both panting slightly, faces turned away from each other.

His eyes met mine. "I love you."

"I love you more," I replied, basking in the warmth of his voice and the words that he had spoken.

He laughed as he helped me to my feet.

"Dawn, no one has _ever _loved anyone the way I love you."

His eyes travelled up and down my body and I blushed. I was glad that I had worn my favourite pair of black tights today; sure they hid the bruises well, but they made my legs look slimmer beneath my jean miniskirt.

"You're beautiful," he repeated. "In fact, you'd be perfect if you listened to me once in a while."

"I always listen to you," I stated, feeling slightly irritated.

He tapped me on the nose. "I would hope so. You don't want to be around me when I lose my temper." He stroked the hidden bruise around my eye so gently that I barely felt his touch. "Want to go see a movie tonight?"

"Okay," I agreed, glad that I had finished all my homework already.

We walked back into the school, standing just far apart enough not to touch, but close enough that people would know we were together. He smiled down at me and I beamed back.

"I'll pick the movie, okay Dawn? I don't want anything like last night to happen again."

He gave my arm a quick squeeze and tender bruises throbbed beneath my sweater. I nodded quickly. That would never happen again. I knew what Paul wanted and I was not going to fail him.

Ash watched as Paul squeezed Dawn's arm. He didn't know why, but it bothered him. He certainly never squeezed Misty's arm so aggressively. Ash watched them as they walked down the hallway. It was weird how they were supposed to be so in love, but they didn't touch each other. Ash always made any excuse he could to have Misty's hand in his. And was it just a trick of the light, or was there a purple shadow around one of Dawn's eyes?

"Ash, come on," Misty said, tugging on his sleeve. "The bell rang. We're going to be late if we don't hurry—"

Ash looped his arms around her waist and planted a kiss on her lips. After seeing the strange thing going on between Paul and Dawn, he needed something to lift his spirits. But even as he kissed Misty, he couldn't get thoughts of Dawn out of his head.

What the hell's wrong with you, he scolded himself. You're crazy. Everything's fine. Dawn would tell me if something were wrong, anyways. Wouldn't she?

**A/N: I've chosen to continue with this, at least for a while longer. Thanks for all the reviews! You guys made me very happy and convinced me that writing this story won't be a waste of time. :]**


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